As I do occasionally, I create posts for friends, who are special to me. This is one of those posts.

This one is for Gina V.

Because I just passed another year, the title of this blog has 2 meanings: I have found myself one more year forward and look forward to the one coming up.
The past year has had its ups and downs, as many do, but I like to base a year on the people I meet, more than anything. Events are one thing but meeting people who leave an impression are something entirely different. And while I have met quite a few people this year, meeting Gina has left quite an impression on me. I could list the reasons why but I won’t: she knows why, I think, and that is all that matters.

I consider the work included here some of my best work, either for personal reasons or because of feedback. The dates refer to the original date I took the photos.

So, Gina, these are for you….sort of a gift to you as I enjoy the entry of my next year on this planet. Enjoy!

As those of you who know I am enthralled with Galen and his friends (see previous blogs “Galen and Friends” and “Galen and Friends, Part 2“), it is with sadness that I said goodbye to him yesterday. Ann is moving east to Virginia and cannot take him with her because she will not be in a proximity to keep him nearby, among other reasons.
So, my trip yesterday wasn’t one that I relished doing but one, instead, that had to be done. It was, for all intents and purposes, the last time I expect to ever see Galen. What a fine horse he is…and what a fine woman Ann is as well.

My Two Friends

Had it not been for Ann, I would never have known the incredible beauty of horses, other than seeing them in a book or some other 2-dimensional form….certainly not “up close and personal” as I have in the last couple of months! I also would never have known how to let a horse know that I am a friend and can be trusted, as a part of the herd. Learning how to do that was something I had never known and am grateful in my knowledge of it now.

It’s been another stretch since I posted a blog. My new job has kept me from shooting more than I wanted and until I get settled into it, I expect it will be like that.
However, a few days ago, I got a day off and made a much-anticipated trip back to Timnath to see Ann and Galen and the horses at Lynchland Stables.

It was a very abbreviated visit than last time; recently my truck had a new engine put into it and the round trip was slowed-down by taking it easy….my lack of planning for this added to the shortness of my stay with the horses. That doesn’t mean, however, that I didn’t get some good shots. In fact, I rather like what I did get.

A couple of weeks ago, I went back up to Timnath again and spent the bulk of the day with Ann. My intent was to take photographs of her horse, Galen, but the photographs turned out including so many other horses where Galen is boarded. I know virtually nothing about horses other than the fact that they are gorgeous creatures to photograph. I know a bit more now but I still have a lot to learn.

Galen and Ann

Ann explained Galen’s lineage but, for the life of me, I can’t remember all of the names and places his lineage runs back to, all I can tell you is that he has one impressive set of fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. (See Ann’s explanation in the comment to the post, below; for those of you who know horse lineage, I’m sure it would be as much of a treat to read as it was to hear her tell it!)Continue reading →